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A Tale of 2 Stoves - Camping Gadgets of the Week

After a day hiking, fishing or
exploring with the kids, coming back to camp and having something scrumptious is high on our agenda.

So for the Gadget of the Week, we are going plural.

Yes, it’s TWO gadgets of the week.

Both are
stoves and they couldn’t be further
apart in terms of practicality, size and weight.

For you today we have the Stove in a Can
and the Coleman Outdoor Oven Stove.

Stove in a Can is being marketed as the Ultimate Emergency Cooking Solution.

It is a can that with the use of some fuel cells (made of
natural and recycled materials) can boil water in 5 minutes. You set the fuel cell on a ring inside the
can, set the cell alight, put the cook top back on, and away you go.

Selling points include that it has indefinite shelf
life, and i'ts great for emergency kits.

It is a very easy to use product, nothing fancy or technical
about it. It is as the name
describes:- a can, with fire and and a
stove top.

That’s it. Nothing
more to say on that one!!

Then, we have something that is totally different in every
way from the simplistic concept just mentioned. Good luck fitting this one in your
backpack.

It is the Coleman Outdoor Oven Stove.

It's a propane oven/stove combination, weighing in at 41
pounds or 18.4kg.

With a view-through oven door with thermometer this camping
oven is designed for the camper who has everything and wants to act like they
are home.

This oven has fully adjustable temperature control,
fold-down windscreens and made of steel,
all complete with carry handles so you can carry it around the campsite and
impress all fellow campers with your strength and totally inappropriate cooking
choice for a back to the bush adventure.

Which one would we choose?

I personally can’t see us using either. Some more thoughts on the above include:

The Stove in a Can is very simplistic and I can see how it
might appeal to those who haven’t really investigated a lot of camping stove
options, and not aware of the alternatives.

Stove in a Can is a lot more portable than the
Coleman Outdoor Stove, which I don’t think is really for campers. Maybe as a backup for those in caravans, or
people who need an oven in their home – but I don’t know of one camper who would
take this along with them.

You don’t need a fancy oven to cook a pizza when you are
camping (we have cooked them in Dutch ovens or on top of a BBQ plate with a
saucepan over the top to help with the toppings cooking). And a simple 2 burner stove is going to
accomplish many of your cooking needs.